Healthy Sweet Pea “Alfredo”

It’s so weird having the 4th of July fall on a Thursday this year. Its like this weekend was fourth of July weekend but it wasn’t really but next weekend won’t really be 4th of July weekend either because it will be over. AND we all know that nobody will be going back to work on a Friday after a holiday and be productive. So, that pretty much means that I’ve got a weeks worth of work to get done in about 3 days even though I already feel like I’m in vacation mode. AHHH someone help me!

We were pleasantly surprised with a gorgeous sunny weekend despite the rainy forecast we were prepared for. On Saturday we played some golf, did some shopping, got a bunch stuff done at the house (including finally putting away all my winter clothes, hello Mai-Lis its June, I don’t think you’ll need those sweaters any more and if you do you’ll be in denial and you won’t wear them anyways). Then on Sunday we helped my brother move into his new lake house which is awesome, we can’t wait to go visit him and enjoy fun time on the water! Hope you all had a great weekend as well!

I got these peas at the Farmer’s Market last weekend and holy moly were they good. They were sweet like candy. I probably could have sat down with the entire bag and eaten them in a sitting. Even though its kind of tedious, I strangely enjoy shelling peas, its like a little meditation. It reminds me of shelling fresh peas from the garden with my mom or grandmother when I was little.

If you don’t have access to any fresh peas, you could always use thawed frozen peas as well but nothing beats fresh peas so if you can, GET THEM.

So how delicious is alfredo sauce? I can’t actually remember the last time I had it but it used to be my absolute FAVORITIST food in the whole wide world. So if you’re like me and you like creamy deliciousness but don’t want to devour a whole bowl of empty calories, here is your chance to enjoy something just as equally creamy and delicious but without all that cream and butter and cheese PLUS its full of delicious vegetables. The sauce is made by creating a puree of cauliflower and sweet peas with a little parmesan cheese (of course).

I served it over whole wheat linguine but you could use whatever your favorite pasta is, or you could toss with zucchini ribbons or spaghetti squash if you want to go totally healthy. The recipe makes enough sauce to coat about a 1/2 pound of pasta (maybe more).

Directions

In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook for 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant.

2.

Add the peas, cauliflower and broth and bring to a boil. When it reaches a boil reduce to a simmer and cook for another 10 minutes.

3.

Transfer to a blender and blend until smooth & creamy. Return to the pan and stir in parmesan cheese and season with salt & pepper to taste. Toss with your favorite pasta and serve with extra parmesan cheese.

Just like you I don’t remember the last time I had Alfredo sauce but ill take this pea version any time. It sounds delicious. Personally I prefer the light taste of all the veggies you put in the sauce versus the heavy cream in the Alfredo sauce.